The Ghana Card can now do something no bank account is required to do: pay for things.
Ghana’s National Identification Authority (NIA) has activated an embedded digital payment wallet in the Ghana Card, the country’s biometric national identity document. The wallet is live now and accessible to any current cardholder through the MyCitizens app or by dialling *402# on a mobile phone.
Once activated, the wallet lets users withdraw cash at ATMs, pay in stores and online, and send or receive money internationally across more than 200 countries. Insurance products and emergency assistance are also accessible through the same wallet. Users do not need to apply for a new card: if they already have a Ghana Card, the payment capability is available to them.
The payment function is not tied to any single bank. The NIA has positioned the wallet as open infrastructure, meaning it works across the financial system rather than locking you into a specific provider. That design is deliberate: Ghana’s credit card penetration was under one percent in 2024, and the majority of Ghana Card holders have never had access to a conventional payment card. The embedded wallet is aimed directly at that gap.
For people without smartphones, the *402# USSD shortcode offers access to the same wallet features on any basic mobile phone. The MyCitizens app is the primary activation channel for smartphone users.
The payment activation completes what the NIA describes as a triple-purpose design for the Ghana Card. The card has functioned as a biometric identity document since launch. The e-passport function was activated in 2022, making the card accepted for travel in 197 countries, and now the payment wallet turns a single physical card into an identity document, travel credential, and financial access tool simultaneously.
Ghana’s approach follows a model emerging across West Africa: building financial services directly into national identity infrastructure, rather than treating identity and payments as separate systems. For cardholders, the result is a single biometric credential that covers government services, border crossings, and everyday payments, activated from one app. The security of Ghana’s mobile money infrastructure will matter more than ever as the wallet reaches more users.
The NIA has previously expanded the Ghana Card’s role into other sectors. A growing body of use cases for mobile payments tied to national credentials is emerging across Africa, and Ghana’s wallet launch is among the most comprehensive yet.
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
Sources: TechCabal
